The Tiny Prince
by stella-pegasi
Summary: The newborn prince of the Kingdom of Athosia is kidnapped.  The Atlantians to the rescue.  Note: Alternate Universe


**Title:** **The Tiny Prince**

**Author**: _stella_pegasi_

**Rating: **K

**Genres: **AU, Action Adventure, Friendship

**Word Count**: 2,190

**Spoilers:** Absolutely none….

**Warnings: **It's a fairytale…evil is about.

**Characters:** John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Kanaan, Lorne

**Summary:** The newborn prince of the Kingdom of Athosia is kidnapped. The Atlantians to the rescue.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own them; I would have treated them better.

**Author's Notes: **OK…this is pure fluff…written for a challenge that never actually happened. The challenge was to write a fairytale, approximately 2000 words, that must include the entire team and start with _"Once upon a time."_

I offer this little piece of fluff as a fun interlude to the mayhem and whump that befalls our heroes most of the time. It's a fairytale, and it's short…read if you so desire.

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The Tiny Prince

_by stella_pegasi_

_Once upon a time_, a beautiful queen, Teyla, and her handsome king, Kanaan, reigned over the tiny kingdom of Athosia. The kingdom was preparing to welcome the Royal couple's firstborn son, Prince Torren. A glorious christening celebration; followed by a great feast, was planned to honor the tiny prince. The kingdom of Athosia and its neighboring kingdoms heralded the birth of Prince Torren as the dawn of a new era of peace and prosperity.

The christening day dawned with a sapphire sky, dotted with fluffy clouds; the warm, breezy air filled with the aroma of fragrant blossoms. In the palace courtyard, the King and Queen waited for Lady Jennifer, the Royal Guardian to bring Prince Torren to them. They were to present their son to his subjects before the ceremony. As Lady Jennifer approached, the sky began to turn dark and ominous, the warm breeze turned icy.

Above the courtyard, the clouds were swirling as a large dark shape loomed overhead, the dreaded ship of the Wasp Queen. The earth trembled from the enormous ship's engines. An intense yellow light burst from the undercarriage of the ship, and two silhouettes materialized before the royals. The evil Warlock Michael and one of his minions took a step toward the prince.

The king rushed to protect his son, but a wave of the warlock's energy wand, and King Kanaan was unable to move. Another wave of his wand immobilized the entire royal court. Walking through the anguished Athosians, the warlock smiled.

"Your Royal Highnesses, you committed a very serious error in judgment. You assumed an heir to the throne would bring tranquility among the kingdoms. Sorry, but you were deluded; there is no peace in your future. However, the prince is the solution to the Wasp Queen's dilemma. Your son will enjoy a wonderful life as the heir to my queen's throne."

Warlock Michael grabbed the tiny prince, and with another flash of intense yellow light, they vanished. The Wasp Queen's ship then disappeared in the swirling black clouds. As the King attempted to console his Queen, he ordered his military commander, "Commander Lorne, you must find Sir John of Atlantis. He is the only one who can rescue the prince."

"At your command, Sire," Commander Lorne headed from the courtyard to gather his men and ride to Atlantis.

~ooOOOoo~

Atlantis sat in the middle of a crystal blue ocean, a day's ride from Athosia. It was said that its citizens possessed magical abilities, which they used to fight evil. Lorne and his men pushed their hypercycles passed their limits, and arrived at the city in just over fourteen hours. As they landed on a large pier, the Athosians were in awe of the tall, pointed spires that surrounded them. They were greeted by Atlantian sentries, who escorted them to the main tower.

Entering the main hall, they interrupted a sparring match between two men; a match inducing laughter from the spectators. One man was tall, dark-haired; lean, possessing languid, graceful movement. His green eyes flashed with amusement as he circled his taller adversary. The challenger was muscular, solid, but surprised at the move that had dropped him to the floor. He rose from the floor, his long dreadlocks flying, ready for battle.

"Sir John, we have guests," a sentry uttered.

The dark-haired man turned, walking toward Lorne, "What can we do for you?"

"I am Commander Lorne of Athosia; I am here to request your assistance. The Wasp Queen has abducted the Athosian prince from his christening ceremony. The King and Queen plead for his rescue."

Running a hand through his dark, spiky hair, Sir John smiled. "The Wasp Queen…without doubt, the Warlock Michael is with her." Motioning to an aid, Sir John commanded, "Find the Wizard Rodney." He looked to his companion, Ronon the Barbarian. "Time that we rescued the tiny prince."

~ooOOOoo~

It took only hours for Sir John's large transport to arrive at the edge of the Wasp Queen's kingdom. Lorne and his men were aboard, their hypercycles stored in the hold. They were mesmerized by the vision of the dark kingdom that lay before them through the ship's viewport. Ominous, black clouds hung low, shrouding the ragged mountain tops; purple lighting crashed with regularity around them, the constant low rumbles of thunder assaulted their ears. The fearless Athosians, on their first quest to the dark kingdom, were uncharacteristically afraid.

Sensing their disquiet, Sir John chuckled, "Don't distress Commander Lorne; it's far worse than it looks. Remain here, we'll return with the prince."

Lorne argued, "Sir, we'll go with you. You cannot face the Wasp Queen alone."

"No, the rest of you won't matter. She only wants me." Sir John exited the hall, leaving the Athosian commander to wonder why the Wasp Queen's interest was only in Sir John.

Sir John, Ronon, and the Wizard left the transport aboard a small shuttle, heading for the Wasp Queen's lair, a honeycombed castle sitting atop a craggy peak. The shuttle landed on a narrow plateau near the drawbridge. As they exited the ship, Wizard Rodney was whining, "This is a horrible idea; she loathes you. She'll kill us for sport, simply to infuriate you."

"You know for a wizard, you truly are faint-hearted." John led them along the uneven path to the drawbridge.

"I'm not faint-hearted, simply pointing out that I would prefer to stay alive."

The barbarian snorted, "Then get behind me, little man; I'll keep you safe."

The Wizard replied, "Funny, really fun…" he was interrupted by Sir John.

"Quiet, you two, or I'll dispatch you back to the shuttle. Rodney, open the gate."

The Wizard glared at his friend, while extracting a crystal wand from the folds of his cloak. Elevating his wand, Rodney uttered, "_Patefacio ianua;" _the drawbridge lowered.

Silently, the three men entered the Wasp Queen's lair.

~ooOOOoo~

The Wasp Queen cradled the tiny prince in her arms, smiling at the infant. Warlock Michael observed the scene before him with surprise; he did not expect the ruthless monarch to show such tenderness. However, her plans had now come to fruition with the arrival of the small prince. Michael realized her smile was for her satisfaction at finally having the tool to destroy the human race.

Handing the child to a worker, she rose from her throne. Tall, slender, her golden-orange hair falling past her waist; her pale gray skin was mottled with patches of black and gold stripes; betwixt her enormous black eyes was a triangle of three diminutive, red eyes. She approached the Warlock.

"You have done well, Warlock. Your reward will be glorious; you will rule the humans we retain as slaves." She slid a long skeletal finger along his pale, scarred face. "I am pleased to see that you are accepting the gift of our genes; you are beginning to develop stripes."

"It certainly hasn't made him any prettier."

The queen and the warlock turned simultaneously toward the deep voice. The queen smiled, "Welcome, Sir John. I have been expecting you." She casually retreated to her throne and sat down.

"I know; missed me?" John flashed his most charming grin at her.

"The only thing I missed desperately about you, Sir John, is watching you die. I have been denied that pleasure far too many times."

"Well, not going to help you with that, but I will help you curb your mothering instincts. I'll take the prince back to his true mother."

Gazing at the handsome Atlantian, she retorted, "Despite the fact you have the blood of those meddlesome Ancient ones coursing through your veins, Sir John, you cannot triumph. The child's blood will be intermingled with ours; the prince will become more powerful than you could ever be. You cannot win, for I have won."

"I wouldn't be so certain, bug queen. Rodney, now," John and Ronon dropped to the floor, as Rodney incanted a spell.

"_Penitus lux lucis;"_ the room instantly became bathed in blinding white light. Sir John recovered first, running toward the cradle holding the tiny prince. He was almost there when a strong arm grabbed him; the Wasp Queen.

She hurled him against a stone wall, her bony hand clutching his throat. "I told you, you cannot win." Staring into his eyes, she endeavored to take over his mind. The intensity of her efforts was pushing him to his knees. In a burst of mental and physical strength, he severed her hold on his mind, and his neck, slinging her away from him. As she struck the floor, he charged after her; the ornate knife held in his hand began to glow.

Ronon was experiencing his own share of problems. The queen's drones, hearing the commotion from the throne room, had begun streaming into the chamber. He was quickly surrounded by the large, single-minded protectors of the queen. He called out to Rodney, "Wizard, some help here, please." He slung his formidable sword in a wide arc to keep the drones at bay.

Rodney was having his own issues; Warlock Michael was approaching him. The two had become locked in a battle; each brandishing their wand as a weapon. Spell after spell crashed about them, chairs and tables flying, bolts of electricity and fire encircled them.

"Little…busy…here." Rodney yelled, breathlessly.

"Wizard, I can't help John, if you don't help me." Ronon had managed to eliminate eight drones, but more were advancing.

Throwing one last lightening bolt, the wizard yelled, _"Subsisto." _Instantly, the drones halted.

Yelling thanks, Ronon headed toward the throne, while Rodney turned back to the Warlock. He stood stationary, a disdainful smile on his face. "I am tired of dealing with you." Raising the crystal wand, he quietly said, "_Congelo firmest." _Before Michael could counter the spell, the warlock turned to solid ice. "Better," Rodney whispered, then turned to join Ronon and John in fighting the queen.

"It does not matter, Sir John. The child is mine," she raced for the cradle, "or he dies." Sir John sprinted after her, Ronon on his heels.

Rodney halted, raising his wand, "_Adeo mihi." _The cradle began to glide across the rough stone floor toward the wizard. Reaching into the cradle, Rodney withdrew the prince, concealing him underneath his cloak.

The Wasp Queen screamed, "I will destroy you." Large, sheer red wings sprouted from her back, slender, sharp stingers from her hands; rising above them, she flew rapidly toward Sir John. Ronon's long sword intercepted her, slicing across one of her wings. She slammed to the floor in front of John.

He smiled, "I knew you would grovel at my feet." Her hand came toward him, deadly stinger ready to plunge into him. He deftly sidestepped her hand, plunging his glowing knife into her chest. "My Ancient ancestors left this knife for me to use defending this world against evil. It has served me well again; it has rid this world of you." Extracting the knife, he wiped the black blood on the queen's skirt.

He turned to his friends, spotting a tiny fist peeking from the wizard's cloak. "Let's take the prince home to his parents and his subjects."

~ooOOOoo~

The Athosians heard the sounds of the Ancient ship before they could see it. As they gathered around the palace, they saw a shuttle descending from the ship, escorted by hypercycles. The shuttle landed in the meadow just outside the castle gates. As the shuttle's ramp lowered, the castle gates opened and the King, Queen and their Court rushed outside.

Sir John approached the royal parents, a small bundle in his arms; Wizard Rodney and Ronon the Barbarian following behind him. Bowing as the King and Queen approached, John smiled. "Your Majesties, may I present your son."

The queen took her son from Sir John's arms; the King embraced his son's rescuer.

"Thank you, Sir John; our thanks to you all. You are true heroes of Athosia, and will always be welcomed here. You must enlighten us, what we can do to reward you for rescuing the Prince?"

The three Atlantians bowed, and John replied to the King. "The only reward necessary is the joy on his mother's beautiful face."

The king asked, "Are they dead?"

Rodney the Wizard answered, "The Wasp Queen is; not sure about the Warlock."

John added, "Don't distress; we'll keep watch for the Warlock. We'll now take our leave."

The Queen spoke, "No, you will remain for the christening celebration of Prince Torren…John." The king nodded his approval to his queen, smiling broadly. A thoroughly embarrassed Sir John blushed.

Wizard Rodney, scoffed, "As if he needs any more accolades; I swear even his hair is preening."

Ronon slapped Rodney on the back, the wizard stumbling from the force of the blow. "Come on, wizard; there is food involved. You will enjoy yourself."

Sir John, the Wizard Rodney, and Ronon the Barbarian followed the royal family into the castle. The three heroes content that they had thwarted another evil monster. However, they were aware that other evils threatened the kingdoms. There were more adventures ahead.

As for the tiny prince…he lived happily ever after.

_The end…_

Thanks for taking time to read The Tiny Prince. I would love to hear what you thought about this fairytale...


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